Two more contacts of UK returnees test coronavirus positive in Delhi

Two more contacts of people who were found infected with COVID-19 after returning from the United Kingdom have tested positive for the disease, officials said on Tuesday.

With this, the total number of infected persons, including those who returned from the UK and their contacts, has gone up to 33, a Delhi government official said.

"All the 33 persons admitted to a special facility in LNJP hospital were stable. Their samples have been sent for genome sequencing to ascertain whether they were carrying the new UK strain or not," he said.

Out of the 33 infected persons, 11 were tested through RT-PCR tests at the IGI airport on their arrival from the UK. Nine other UK returnees were found positive in the Delhi government's district-level door-to-door contact and testing drive.

The district-level teams contact those who had returned from the UK after November 25 and test them for the virus. Extensive contact tracing is also underway to identify and test those persons who came in their contact and have developed any symptoms, officials said.

Out of over 13,000 passengers who landed at the IGI airport, around 1,400 have been identified as residents of Delhi. The list of passengers provided by the Bureau of Civil Aviation is being sorted and all the Delhi residents who returned from the UK are being contacted, they said.